Ruger snickered in response. "I think that honor's all yours, my dear."

Vaughn started to stand. "I'm going to go back there and arrest them," he announced in a drunken tone.

"You're off duty," Grey casually reminded him.

Vaughn returned to his seat and felt his chest for his badge. He suddenly frowned. "Oh," he replied with a defeated sigh. A strange smile crossed his face. "In that case, I'll just kick the c.r.a.p out of them instead."

"Maybe you should hold off on that tonight," Grey announced with a tiny grin on his face.

Vaughn appeared to consider the comment then sighed. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Melanie approached Vaughn from behind and affectionately rubbed his shoulders. Vaughn grinned and caressed the hands on his shoulders without looking back.

"How are you boys doing over here?" Melanie asked.

Vaughn eyed the hands on his shoulders with bewilderment then looked at Grey. "Who's behind me?

"That would be Melanie," Grey casually replied.

Vaughn quickly pulled away from her hands, turned in his chair, and glared at her. "No, no. You need to go away."

Melanie smiled sweetly, returned her hands to his shoulders, and clung to him from behind. "One dance for old times' sake," she cooed.

"No, just stay away from me," Vaughn announced firmly then looked at Grey. "A little help here."

Grey appeared surprised and held his hands up. "What do you want me to do? Rough up your ex-girlfriend?"

Vaughn pulled away from Melanie and stood drunkenly while facing her. "Just stay away from me, Mel."

Melanie placed her hands to his chest and attempted to cozy up to him while smiling seductively. "Oh, come on," she said sweetly. "Just one dance." Her hand traveled his body despite his attempts to keep her away.

Her wrist was suddenly grabbed, stopping her hands from traveling his body. Melanie appeared surprised and looked at Casey, who now stood before her. Casey glared at her with hostility and annoyance.

"He's off limits," Casey scoffed.

Melanie smirked and pulled her wrist from Casey's grip. All four men watched the exchange in silence.

"Not to me, sister," Melanie snapped and gave Casey a quick once over. "We used to date."

Casey's glare was cold and unpredictable. She wasn't in the mood to deal with the little b.i.t.c.h. Not tonight. "No, you got him drunk, seduced him, and made him think you were pregnant to keep him around."

"This doesn't concern you, b.i.t.c.h," Melanie lashed out.

Ruger, Grey, and Diesel laughed and 'ewe' softly, which only encouraged the situation. Vaughn just watched with possible surprise and sank back into his chair. Casey may have been drunk, but she certainly didn't show it now.

"These are my boys," Casey informed her with a stern glare while casually indicating the table of men. "You stay away from my boys, or I'll show you just what kind of b.i.t.c.h I really am."

Melanie appeared unimpressed and sneered at her. Casey maintained her glare and moved into a fighting stance with her eyes locked on Melanie.

"You should probably back away slowly," Grey announced with a tone of concern. "She doesn't have real good control when she's drunk."

"You wouldn't dare," Melanie scoffed with a snort.

Casey kicked for Melanie's face. Melanie suddenly gasped. Ruger yelled something in Mandarin. Casey stopped her kick short of her face and collected herself. Melanie appeared alarmed, gasped, and hurried away.

"Now sit down and relax," Ruger firmly said.

Casey obediently sat on the first available lap and helped herself to the drink on the table before her. Diesel watched her and chuckled. Grey groaned and shook his head. Casey eyed Ruger's disapproving look from across the table and appeared bewildered. She suddenly realized she was sitting on Vaughn's lap. Casey laughed, leaned against Vaughn, and playfully clung to his neck.

"Well, good evening, Sheriff Holt. How did you get there?" she teased.

Vaughn grinned and laughed drunkenly at her. "You are so wasted."

Casey smiled, patted his chest, and giggled. "And you are seriously aroused."

Diesel and Grey burst out laughing, while Ruger just rolled his eyes with disgust. Vaughn drunkenly grinned and clung to her with his face nuzzling her chest. Melanie stood near the bar and watched Casey cling to Vaughn while sitting on his lap and laughing. Vaughn caressed her leg through her jeans without care and received little to no protest. Melanie sneered with disgust, shoved past Dina, and headed into the backroom. Dina watched Melanie storm off then glanced at the table containing her friends. Sheriff Holt appeared to be holding little back, as he was obviously enjoying Casey's presence on his lap. Dina grinned and laughed softly. Melanie entered the pool area and pushed past the few patrons brave enough to hang out in the pool area with her four cousins. She approached Wayne with a disgusted look on her face.

"What are you going to do about Casey Remington?" she demanded to know.

Wayne straightened from making his shot and glared at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"She beat the c.r.a.p out of the four of you," Melanie snapped. "What do you intend to do about it?"

Wayne snorted a laugh and mocked her. "Step on your tiara, did she?"

"You could say that," Melanie huffed while folding her arms across her chest.

"Fight your own battles, princess," Wayne snorted. "We have better things to do."

Melanie glared at them, appeared disgusted, and returned to the bar. They laughed at her as she walked away.

Chapter Twenty-one.

The Remington farmhouse was well-lit in the night setting with Grey's jeep parked out front alongside Ruger's car. Casey rode her horse at a leisurely walk along the driveway toward the barn. She stopped the horse before the hitching post, attempted to dismount, and fell onto her backside by the horse's front legs. Casey giggled while looking up at the horse from where she sat on the ground by his hooves. The gray horse looked at her on the ground and snickered.

"Stop laughing at me."

She clung to the stirrup to pull herself up to her feet and stumbled toward the house. Storm followed her to the porch. As she walked onto the porch, she heard the strange, hollow thump. Casey suddenly realized she was being followed. She looked back at her horse with his front hooves on the second step of the porch. She burst out laughing.

"Oh, that wouldn't have gone over well," she remarked in a drunken tone. "Ruger would flip if he found you in the living room tomorrow morning."

She motioned for the horse to follow her as she stumbled back toward the barn. Storm casually followed at a leisurely walk and stopped near the gate. She unsaddled the horse, leaving her saddle on the hitching post, and opened the gate to the paddock. Storm excitedly ran through the open gate, crossed the pasture, and immediately rolled on the ground, grinding dirt into his once clean coat. She knew he did that on purpose. Casey stumbled back toward the house and entered the dimly lit kitchen. She was about to walk across the kitchen toward the backstairs when she suddenly stopped. Vaughn sat on the floor before the island counter in the exact spot he had held her the night she was stabbed. He held his head in his hands with his elbows resting on his bent knees and stared blankly at the floor. Casey watched him a moment in silence. Seeing him like that almost instantly sobered her. A flood of bad memories swept over her.

"Sheriff?"

Vaughn drunkenly looked at her then stood with some difficulty. "Grey said I could sleep on the sofa."

"That's not the sofa," she casually informed him.

"Yeah--"

Vaughn stared at her with a strange look. Casey attempted to read his look but she couldn't get past his dark eyes. His drunken state was concerning.

"Haven't I always looked out for you?" he suddenly asked.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Vaughn moved closer to Casey and looked into her eyes. She stared back at him even though she wanted to avoid looking into his dark eyes. She didn't need the memories from that night haunting her tonight.

"I would have taken care of you," he informed her gently. "Why didn't you let me take care of you?"

His comment stunned her. She tensed and became uncomfortable. She wasn't sure how to respond. What he was saying didn't make any sense. Perhaps it was just because he was drunk.

"I think we're both too drunk to be having this conversation," she informed him gently. "You can sleep it off in my parents' bedroom."

Vaughn took a step toward her. Casey immediately took a step away and backed into the island counter. Without warning, he pulled her into his arms and held her against him. Casey appeared slightly surprised, tensed, and braced her hands against his chest to hold him back. His hands firmly caressed her back and shoulders as he buried his face into her neck. Memories from that night flooded back into her consciousness. She'd been attempting to suppress those memories, but her drunken state and his actions brought them all back in a tidal wave of emotion. She remembered him holding her. She heard him crying. The memory was sobering and one she had tried hard to forget. Her dreams in the cemetery weren't dreams at all! They were memories of Vaughn. He had been holding her. He was the shadowy dark figure who gave her so much comfort. She had heard him in her unconscious state! His was the voice that pulled her back from the light! Although he never admitted it, he must have been in ICU with her when her condition deteriorated. Casey remained tense in his arms as she attempted to sort out a flood of emotions and memories. Her head was spinning from too much alcohol and this new realization. It was almost too much for her to take in! Despite her weak attempt to hold him back, Vaughn held and caressed her.

As he nuzzled her neck, he whispered softly, "I only slept with Melanie; because I was so drunk I thought she was you."

His words stunned her. Casey exhaled a soft groan and shut her eyes. She uncertainly slipped her arms around his neck and returned the embrace. Vaughn slowly lowered his mouth to hers and trembled as he brushed his lips past hers. Casey tensed but didn't pull away. He kissed her warmly but pa.s.sionately, sending shockwaves through her nearly numb body. She suddenly felt defenseless as she sank into his comforting arms. Casey uncertainly returned the kiss with few inhibitions in her drunken state. His kissed turned more aggressive as he firmly ran his hands along the curves of her body. She couldn't seem to convince herself to stop his traveling hands, and she didn't know why. After all, she hated him! Didn't she?

Early the next morning, sunlight flooded Casey's bedroom. Vaughn slowly moved beneath the covers and groaned softly while holding his head. He slowly sat up, realized he was naked, and appeared bewildered then startled. He looked around the empty room and uncertainly shook his head. He again held his head while reaching for his pants on the floor. He dressed and wearily stumbled from the bedroom. Vaughn walked onto the porch while still holding his aching head. Casey sat reclined on the railing in a tank top and her sleep shorts, looking slightly disheveled. She glanced at him as he approached her on the railing.

She snorted a soft laugh. "G.o.d, you look like I feel," she muttered and hid her smile.

Vaughn slowly and uncertainly sat on the railing across from her, shut his eyes, and groaned softly while placing his head to the support beam behind him.

"I don't remember much about last night, but should I be apologizing?" he asked softly as he glanced at her.

Casey snorted a laugh and appeared humored. "Any fun you had in my bed last night was a solo act."

He seemed surprised by the statement and stared at her. "So we didn't sleep together?" he asked softly.

"Yes and no," she replied teasingly. "You were supposed to take my parents' bedroom, but I found you pa.s.sed out in my bed instead. Since there was no way in h.e.l.l I was going to sleep in my parents' room, I opted to sleep in my bed. You just happened to be there."

He didn't seem convinced and pressed further. "And you're sure nothing happened?"

"You were already naked and pa.s.sed out long before I got there," she a.s.sured him.

Vaughn groaned softly and shut his eyes with possible embarra.s.sment. "Can you possibly not mention to anyone that you found me naked in your bed?"

"I'm sure I could, but what fun would that be?" she teased, taking pleasure in his embarra.s.sment.

He cast a look at her and grinned despite his aching head. "You love torturing me."

"You're a big boy," she said firmly. "You can handle it."

He snorted a laugh and stared at her a moment longer. Casey stared back at him briefly then felt compelled to look away. After their conversation last night, she found it even more difficult to look him in the eyes. Apparently, he didn't remember much of it. He continued to study her then finally looked away and across the secluded property. The farm seemed completely isolated from the rest of the world.

"It's so peaceful out here," he remarked softly.

As he stared off, she was finally able to look at him where he sat. Last night was burned into her mind, and she was having a difficult time dismissing it. She no longer knew how she felt about Sheriff Holt. Her mind was cluttered with the past and last night's events. She didn't like how confused she felt. Being angry was easier. When he looked back in her direction, she looked out across the pastures and again avoided eye contact. She felt his stare on her for a long moment. She pretended she didn't notice. Grey walked onto the porch, startling both. He was up early, even for him. He paused just past the doorway, stared at both, and grinned deviously.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" he teased.

Vaughn shifted and appeared uncomfortable. "No, and do you have to be so chipper?"

"It's the sworn duty of the designated driver to torment those hungover the next morning," he replied then chuckled. "You look like s.h.i.t, Sheriff."

"Thanks," Vaughn replied. "I wish I felt that good."

Grey again laughed and appeared too enthusiastic for the early hour. He then shifted his attention to Casey, who didn't appear nearly as hungover.

"Sometime after lunch, when the lushes roll out of bed, we're running to Dina's apartment to pick up her things," Grey informed her. "Tucker offered Dina his truck, so we can move the bigger stuff."

"Dina's moving in?" Vaughn asked from his reclined position against the railing.

"We thought it was best," Casey informed him.

"I know she brightens my mornings," Grey announced while grinning.

Casey rolled her eyes. Vaughn remained baffled by the comment.

"You still haven't figured out who attacked Dina in the parking lot the other night?" Grey asked as he collapsed into the rocking chair.

"She said he was wearing a mask, and she didn't really get a very good look at him," Vaughn replied. "She was almost positive it wasn't Wayne. His build was wrong."

"Yeah, but it could have been one of his brothers," Casey informed him.

"Ernest alibied Ryan, Blain, and Fred," Vaughn replied with a sigh. "Supposedly they were all together at home from midnight until morning."

"That's bulls.h.i.t," Grey scoffed.

"I don't have any evidence to bring them in for further questioning," he replied.

"That's also bulls.h.i.t," Grey added.

"Sometimes it goes that way," Vaughn informed him.